“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” -Hebrews 11:8 ESV
Over the past week or so, this Scripture at the forefront of my meditation. Abraham’s faith never ceases to take my breath away. Imagine growing up in your hometown and living there for over 70 years. You have several generations of family there, you made your livelihood there, everything you own and everything that you have become is tied to that place. Then one day, God comes and gives a tremendous vision that not only scares you, but excites you. Then, the punchline comes: you must leave your homeland to go a land you NEVER KNEW. He doesn’t give you the location, doesn’t even give you a road map. He just says, “Get up, grab your family and start walking in this direction. Trust me, the place I’m taking you is crucial to fulfilling that vision I just showed you.” Say whaaaaaat?!!?! Regardless of what Abraham may have felt or thought, he obediently trusted God and went.
Here I sit typing, having a similar experience. Never before had I been to, let alone ever considered moving to Omaha, Nebraska for any reason. Having lived in pretty much one place my entire life, making a move of this magnitude would be very daunting given any other circumstance. Yet in the face of all the challenges that may lie before us, I know and trust that where God is leading me is crucial to the next phase of life. Thus, when my wife and I considered Omaha, I simply said, yes. With no idea on where we will live, what we will exactly do when we get out there, I still was assured (and still am) confident that even though we will be moving to a land we never knew to take on the charge God has laid before us, everything will work out.
I’ve learned that faith simply is trust in God with or without a plan…
~Professor Q